Nearly six years ago, “Rams,” a touching humanist drama from Iceland directed and written by Grímur Hákonarson, won hearts — and prizes — at the Cannes Film Festival. Now, in trots “Rams,” an Australian remake, directed by Jeremy Sims (“Last Cab to Darwin”). Adapted with winning cultural specificity by former newsman Jules Duncan, it’s longer and more broadly comic than the Icelandic version and boasts a tacked on, feel-good ending. Beloved Antipodean stars Sam Neill and Michael Caton play the two estranged brothers who must pull together to save what is dearest to them: their sheep.
Although they have not spoken to one another for 40 years, Colin (Neill) and older brother Les (Caton) Grimurson live on neighboring stud farms in a valley near Mount Barker, Western Australia. The spectacularly scenic landscape with its nearby mountains and beaches as well as baking hot summers and bush fires becomes a fateful character in the action.
Although they have not spoken to one another for 40 years, Colin (Neill) and older brother Les (Caton) Grimurson live on neighboring stud farms in a valley near Mount Barker, Western Australia. The spectacularly scenic landscape with its nearby mountains and beaches as well as baking hot summers and bush fires becomes a fateful character in the action.
- 2/5/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Short film Judas Collar was among the star performers at the Wa Screen Culture Awards yesterday, taking out five categories at the inaugural event.
Held as a conclusion to the Revelation Perth International Film Festival, the awards recognise new, established, and emerging screen practices across 18 divisions.
Alison James’ story of a tracking device known as a Judas Collar that captures the journey and betrayal of a feral camel in Australia’s Outback added to its inclusion on the long list for the Academy Award for short film last year, winning each of its nominated fields, including Innovation in Short Film or Animation.
James told If innovation was at the heart of her film, which contains no dialogue and involved helicopter stunt work in the remote outback.
“There’s no road map for how to make a film like this,” she said.
“We were filming camels without ropes, so we had...
Held as a conclusion to the Revelation Perth International Film Festival, the awards recognise new, established, and emerging screen practices across 18 divisions.
Alison James’ story of a tracking device known as a Judas Collar that captures the journey and betrayal of a feral camel in Australia’s Outback added to its inclusion on the long list for the Academy Award for short film last year, winning each of its nominated fields, including Innovation in Short Film or Animation.
James told If innovation was at the heart of her film, which contains no dialogue and involved helicopter stunt work in the remote outback.
“There’s no road map for how to make a film like this,” she said.
“We were filming camels without ropes, so we had...
- 12/14/2020
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
‘The Furnace.’
Roderick MacKay’s debut feature The Furnace has been hailed as a compelling, ambitious and meticulously researched exploration of a little-known slice of Australian history following the world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.
Critics praised the performances of Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek as Hanif, a wide-eyed young Afghan cameleer, and David Wenham as a shifty gold prospector.
DOPs Michael McDermott and Bonnie Elliott’s camerawork was lauded for capturing the ancient landscapes of the Western Australian interior, as were Mark Bradshaw’s score and production designer Clayton Jauncey’s recreation of the gold rush town Mount Magnet in its infancy.
Produced by Timothy White and Tenille Kennedy, the 1890s drama co-starring Jay Ryan, Erik Thomson, Kaushik Das, Baykali Ganambarr, Trevor Jamieson, Mahesh Jadu and Samson Coulter screened in the festival’s Horizons section on Saturday.
The plot follows Malek’s Hanif and Wenham’s Mal who...
Roderick MacKay’s debut feature The Furnace has been hailed as a compelling, ambitious and meticulously researched exploration of a little-known slice of Australian history following the world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.
Critics praised the performances of Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek as Hanif, a wide-eyed young Afghan cameleer, and David Wenham as a shifty gold prospector.
DOPs Michael McDermott and Bonnie Elliott’s camerawork was lauded for capturing the ancient landscapes of the Western Australian interior, as were Mark Bradshaw’s score and production designer Clayton Jauncey’s recreation of the gold rush town Mount Magnet in its infancy.
Produced by Timothy White and Tenille Kennedy, the 1890s drama co-starring Jay Ryan, Erik Thomson, Kaushik Das, Baykali Ganambarr, Trevor Jamieson, Mahesh Jadu and Samson Coulter screened in the festival’s Horizons section on Saturday.
The plot follows Malek’s Hanif and Wenham’s Mal who...
- 9/6/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘The Furnace.’
Writer-director Roderick MacKay’s debut feature The Furnace, an 1890s drama set during the gold rush in Western Australia, will have its world premiere in the Horizons section of the 77th Venice Film Festival.
Produced by Timothy White (I Am Mother) and Tenille Kennedy (H is for Happiness), the film follows Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek as a young Afghan cameleer who partners with Mal, a mysterious bushman (David Wenham) on the run with two Crown-marked gold bars.
Together the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace – the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown.
The cast includes Jay Ryan, Erik Thomson (The Luminaries), Baykali Ganambarr (The Nightingale), Trevor Jamieson (Storm Boy), Mahesh Jadu (The Witcher) and Samson Coulter (Breath).
“I’m thrilled at this opportunity for the...
Writer-director Roderick MacKay’s debut feature The Furnace, an 1890s drama set during the gold rush in Western Australia, will have its world premiere in the Horizons section of the 77th Venice Film Festival.
Produced by Timothy White (I Am Mother) and Tenille Kennedy (H is for Happiness), the film follows Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek as a young Afghan cameleer who partners with Mal, a mysterious bushman (David Wenham) on the run with two Crown-marked gold bars.
Together the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace – the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown.
The cast includes Jay Ryan, Erik Thomson (The Luminaries), Baykali Ganambarr (The Nightingale), Trevor Jamieson (Storm Boy), Mahesh Jadu (The Witcher) and Samson Coulter (Breath).
“I’m thrilled at this opportunity for the...
- 7/28/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Veteran actor, David Wenham and rising star Ahmed Malek are set to star in “The Furnace.” The adventure drama is by first time feature director Roderick MacKay, with production by Timothy White (“I Am Mother”) and Tenille Kennedy (“H Is For Happiness”).
Set in Western Australia’s 1890s gold rush, “The Furnace” is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land. It illuminates the forgotten history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who opened up the country’s desert interior, and formed unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.
Malek, an Egyptian actor who was named one of the Rising Stars at the Toronto Film Festival in 2018, will play a camel driver who teams up with a bushman, played by Wenham. Together, they must outwit zealous troopers in a race to reset gold bars at a secret furnace.
Set in Western Australia’s 1890s gold rush, “The Furnace” is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land. It illuminates the forgotten history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who opened up the country’s desert interior, and formed unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.
Malek, an Egyptian actor who was named one of the Rising Stars at the Toronto Film Festival in 2018, will play a camel driver who teams up with a bushman, played by Wenham. Together, they must outwit zealous troopers in a race to reset gold bars at a secret furnace.
- 9/13/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Ahmed Malek.
Writer-director Roderick Mackay’s feature debut The Furnace is set to kick off in Wa next month, headlined by a cast that includes Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek, David Wenham and The Nightingale’s Baykali Ganambarr.
Set in the during the 1890s gold rush, the film is described as an “unlikely hero’s tale” navigating greed and identity. It illuminates a history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who opened up the desert interior, and formed unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.
Malek, named a Rising Star at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, will play Hanif, a young cameleer who forms a partnership with a bushman on the run with Crown gold. The bushman, Mal, will be played by Wenham, a long-time supporter of the project. Together, they must outwit zealous troopers in a race to reset the gold bars at a secret furnace.
Writer-director Roderick Mackay’s feature debut The Furnace is set to kick off in Wa next month, headlined by a cast that includes Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek, David Wenham and The Nightingale’s Baykali Ganambarr.
Set in the during the 1890s gold rush, the film is described as an “unlikely hero’s tale” navigating greed and identity. It illuminates a history of Australia’s ‘Ghan’ cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who opened up the desert interior, and formed unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.
Malek, named a Rising Star at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, will play Hanif, a young cameleer who forms a partnership with a bushman on the run with Crown gold. The bushman, Mal, will be played by Wenham, a long-time supporter of the project. Together, they must outwit zealous troopers in a race to reset the gold bars at a secret furnace.
- 9/13/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Jeremy Sims (L) with Sam Neill on the set of ‘Rams’ (Photo credit: Merlyn Moon).
Jeremy Sims was promoting his drama Last Cab to Darwin on the international film festival circuit in 2015 when he noticed Icelandic film Hrútar featured in nearly every program.
His curiosity piqued, he watched writer-director Grímur Hákonarson’s film – the tale of two warring brothers, both sheep farmers – at the Busan festival in Korea, and was hugely impressed. The same year it won best film at Un Certain Regard in Cannes.
So it was a fortuitous coincidence when one of the producers, Wbmc’s Aidan O’Bryan rang his agent earlier this year to ask if he would direct a re-imagining of the film entitled Rams after acquiring the adaptation rights.
Sims loved the screenplay by Western Australian-born writer Jules Duncan, which is a complete reinterpretation of the original, and readily accepted the offer. Produced by O’Bryan and Janelle Landers,...
Jeremy Sims was promoting his drama Last Cab to Darwin on the international film festival circuit in 2015 when he noticed Icelandic film Hrútar featured in nearly every program.
His curiosity piqued, he watched writer-director Grímur Hákonarson’s film – the tale of two warring brothers, both sheep farmers – at the Busan festival in Korea, and was hugely impressed. The same year it won best film at Un Certain Regard in Cannes.
So it was a fortuitous coincidence when one of the producers, Wbmc’s Aidan O’Bryan rang his agent earlier this year to ask if he would direct a re-imagining of the film entitled Rams after acquiring the adaptation rights.
Sims loved the screenplay by Western Australian-born writer Jules Duncan, which is a complete reinterpretation of the original, and readily accepted the offer. Produced by O’Bryan and Janelle Landers,...
- 10/22/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Eamon Farren and Amber McMahon in Girl Asleep.
George Miller will present the Cameron Creswell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Design at the 6th Annual Australian Production Design Guild Awards.
The event takes place on November 7 at Sydney.s Nida, and celebrates the achievements of designers across 24 categories. New categories this year include Virtual Reality and Game Design.
The Apdg will again acknowledge masters of the craft with three Industry Recognition Awards: The Cameron Creswell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Design, the Global Creatures Artisan Award for Lifetime Achievement in Live Performance and the Canal Road Film Centre Artisan Award for Lifetime Achievement..
For the first time, the recipient of the Thelma Afford Theatre, Stage, TV or Film Costume Design Award will also be announced at the ceremony..
Nominations include:
Production Design on a Feature Film: Jonathon Oxlade - Girl Asleep, Jo Ford - Holding The Man, Roger Ford a.
George Miller will present the Cameron Creswell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Design at the 6th Annual Australian Production Design Guild Awards.
The event takes place on November 7 at Sydney.s Nida, and celebrates the achievements of designers across 24 categories. New categories this year include Virtual Reality and Game Design.
The Apdg will again acknowledge masters of the craft with three Industry Recognition Awards: The Cameron Creswell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Design, the Global Creatures Artisan Award for Lifetime Achievement in Live Performance and the Canal Road Film Centre Artisan Award for Lifetime Achievement..
For the first time, the recipient of the Thelma Afford Theatre, Stage, TV or Film Costume Design Award will also be announced at the ceremony..
Nominations include:
Production Design on a Feature Film: Jonathon Oxlade - Girl Asleep, Jo Ford - Holding The Man, Roger Ford a.
- 10/28/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Documentary musical Prison Songs and animated TV series God Squad each won three trophies at the 27th annual Wa Screen Awards.
Writer-director Jeffory Asselin.s Pinch was the surprise winner of. best feature film . drama, edging out Kill Me Three Times,. Paper Planes and The Reckoning.
The film revolves around a light-fingered teen who attempts to rip off a major drug syndicate to pay for his mother's life saving surgery.
Producer/director Lauren Brunswick received the $5,000 McKenna Hampton Young Filmmaker of the Year award.
Presented by Fti, the awards were handed out at the Heath Ledger Theatre on June 29, hosted by comedian Joel Creasey.
The Beyond West-produced Prison Songs by Kelrick Martin and Harry Bardwell took the prizes for best TV production . factual, best long form editing and sound. Martin also won the award for best long form direction..
God Squad by Troy Zafer and Nicholas Kempt was named best animation,...
Writer-director Jeffory Asselin.s Pinch was the surprise winner of. best feature film . drama, edging out Kill Me Three Times,. Paper Planes and The Reckoning.
The film revolves around a light-fingered teen who attempts to rip off a major drug syndicate to pay for his mother's life saving surgery.
Producer/director Lauren Brunswick received the $5,000 McKenna Hampton Young Filmmaker of the Year award.
Presented by Fti, the awards were handed out at the Heath Ledger Theatre on June 29, hosted by comedian Joel Creasey.
The Beyond West-produced Prison Songs by Kelrick Martin and Harry Bardwell took the prizes for best TV production . factual, best long form editing and sound. Martin also won the award for best long form direction..
God Squad by Troy Zafer and Nicholas Kempt was named best animation,...
- 6/30/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
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